Daphne Nwobike
Staff Writer
It’s a normal Monday afternoon at Blue Monarch, and I’m spending it decorating cookies with a little girl who is thoroughly enjoying dousing hers in pink sprinkles. As her mentor for the day, I have the pleasure of having lunch with her, keeping her entertained, and giving her piggyback rides between activities.
On Monday, Jan. 19, the Office of Civic Engagement and the Office of Community Building & Connections facilitated a range of service opportunities in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. From blanket-making at Biehl Commons to crafting bed frames with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, to connecting with young children at Blue Monarch, students had multiple opportunities to engage with our surrounding community.
I had the privilege of visiting Blue Monarch, a women’s shelter focused on supporting “women and their children who are overcoming addiction, abuse, and economic hardship.” This organization has dedicated its time and efforts to ensuring the recovery and well-being of mothers and children with traumatic backgrounds, with the hopes of empowering them to live sober and form stronger bonds with their children.
As part of MLK Day of Service, about 20 Sewanee students were paired with a child for the day to connect with them, play with them, and help them feel seen and heard. While it may seem like a simple task on paper, many of these children have experienced things that make it hard for them to open up or trust others, so the opportunity to support them and help them feel special, if only for a day, was especially meaningful. Together, we had lunch, played games, did arts and crafts, and decorated cookies, all of which helped us learn about their interests, favorite foods, games, and toys they loved most.
While spending time with such vibrant families, I saw the meaning of true resilience. Despite having gone through so much, these moms and their children were joyful and welcoming, bringing us into community with them and offering us a glimpse into their busy lives. These women not only care for their children but also work hard maintaining their homes and always looking for ways to improve themselves and gain new skills. The opportunity to work with and learn from these families while at Blue Monarch truly captures the spirit behind MLK Day.
When I think about MLK Day, I think about Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service in pursuit of human rights, justice, and equality. I think about his vision of a “beloved community” rooted in togetherness and mutual care. I think about the current state of the world and how much we need service and community more than ever. Outside our Sewanee bubble, a world exists in need of extra love, with communities struggling under the weight of food insecurity, family separations, and unmet needs. MLK Day, as well as spaces like Blue Monarch, remind us of the importance of community and channeling the trust and care we gain from supporting each other to resist apathy.
For Sewanee students, MLK Day and other service opportunities invite us to go beyond our comfort zones and engage with the challenges facing the communities around us so we can come to see civic engagement as an ongoing responsibility to listen, learn, and act with humility and empathy. Showing up, standing in solidarity, and being in community are parts of service that anyone can participate in, drawing to mind Martin Luther King Jr.’s poignant words:
“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.
You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.
You don’t have to have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.
You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.
You don’t have to know Einstein’s “Theory of Relativity” to serve.
You don’t have to know the Second Theory of Thermodynamics in Physics to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace,
a soul generated by love,
and you can be that servant.” — Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., “The Drum Major Instinct,” 1968